Verbatim technique:

its use in specific performances in post-soviet dramaturgy

Abstract

Over the past decades, New Russian Drama has become one of the most critical movements in theatre in the 21st
century. The article will present specific performances of the movement, considered of great importance by the
research. The performances will be analyzed via the verbatim technique. This technique allows any artist to create
a performance text by transcribing interviews with people connected to a joint event or subject. The cast, the writer
or performance director edits the interviews. The performance discussed in the article is September, written by Elena
Gremina and Michail Ugarev and performed in the early 2000s, directed by Michael Ugarev. Another performance
which will be addressed is Ivan Viripaev's 1.8 Meters, premiered in December 2021 in Warsaw, and since then, it
staged in various European cities. The fundamental common element of the two performances, beyond the use of
technique, is their intense political character.